The creator role has changed - and not just in how content looks, but in what it demands from the people behind it.

In this episode of Inside the Creator Economy, we sit down with Norwegian creator Elisabeth Asserson Ingebrigtsen to unpack what it actually means to build a personal brand today, beyond aesthetics, algorithms and surface-level engagement.

We talk about the shift from being “polished” to being personal, and the pressure that comes with it. Because the more you share, the more you grow… but also, the more is expected of you.

We cover:

• Why she doesn’t identify with the term influencer, and what she sees her role as instead
• How expectations on creators have fundamentally changed over the past few years
• The tension between growth, authenticity and personal boundaries
• What brands still get wrong when working with creators, and why control often backfires
• Why people today don’t just want products, they want to be part of something

TikTok is no longer a channel you test. It’s a platform shaping how brands build relevance.

In this episode of Inside the Creator Economy, we sit down with Elin Palmelius from TikTok Nordics to unpack what’s actually changing - not just on the platform, but in how brands think about creativity, audiences and growth.

Over the past few years, TikTok has evolved from a fast-moving challenger to a core part of the media mix, redefining everything from content formats to the path to purchase. But the real shift goes deeper than that.

We’re moving from a world where brands broadcast, to one where they’re expected to participate. Where discovery, consideration and conversion can happen in seconds. And where relevance is no longer owned by the brand, but shaped in real time by communities.

We dive into:

• Why TikTok has moved from “nice to have” to a true business driver
• What Gen Alpha expects from brands, and why they don’t just consume content, but shape it
• How the definition of “good creative” is changing, and why less polished often performs better
• What “organic branding” really means, and how brands can show up in a way that feels native, not interruptive

Because the real question isn’t whether brands should be on TikTok - it’s whether they’re ready to let go of control, and actually become part of the culture they want to reach.

In this episode of Inside the Creator Economy, we’re doing something a little different.

Instead of bringing in a guest, we’re taking you inside our internal insights chat at Cure Media, where our team shares the signals, shifts and conversations shaping the creator economy in real time. This episode is built from those discussions.

We unpack five shifts we keep coming back to. Not trends in the traditional sense, but patterns that say something bigger about where the industry is heading, and what brands need to understand to stay relevant.

We cover:

• Why many brands still struggle to operationalise creators, and what it actually takes to move from ambition to execution

• The rise of the status economy, where cultural fluency matters more than category

• Nostalgia as more than a trend, and how brands can create meaning, not just reference the past

• The optimisation mindset, and how wellness and longevity are reshaping consumer behaviour

• How AI is collapsing the funnel, and what it means to be recommended, not just discovered